Assam violence: Inmates missing from camps

Bangladesh/New Delhi, Sept 12: At least 500 inmates staying in different relief camps in Dhubri district in Assam, have gone missing and are suspected to have crossed over to Bangladesh, after authorities started verifying antecedents of the victims of recent clashes between Bodos and immigrant Muslims.

Quoting inputs from intelligence agencies, official sources said at least 500 people living in relief camps fled from Assam after the authorities started checking their identity documents and land records before allowing them to be rehabilitated.

"We have reports that these people have crossed over to Bangladesh fearing detection as they did not have any document to proof their identity of being Indian," a source said.

Initially, there were reports that several thousand people living in relief camps went missing, but after verification it was found that around 500 inmates went missing from relief camps. Nearly two lakh people affected in recent violence in Bodo-dominated areas are living in around 215 relief camps in Assam.

Meanwhile, in order to deal with the growing demand for detection of illegal immigrants, Assam government has asked the Union Home Ministry to allow setting up of 64 additional tribunals for detection of foreigners.